Police search Kansas City lake for weapon in Gladstone murder

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Investigators were searching a Kansas City lake Monday for the weapon authorities believe was used in the murder of an AT&T worker in Gladstone last week.

Bryan J. Middlemas is accused of beating Kevin Mashburn with a crowbar in an attempt to steal his wallet.

Middlemas was charged Sunday with first-degree murder and first-degree attempted robbery.

According to court documents, Middlemas admitted to a friend that he had robbed someone overnight and then tossed his crowbar into a nearby pond or lake.

Investigators convened Monday morning at Chaumiere Lake in Kansas City in hopes of recovering the suspected murder weapon.

Roger Pesek, an Overland Park, Kan., sergeant who was overseeing the water search, the sergeant overseeing the effort, says a credible tip led them to specific areas of the lake.

The lake has an area of about three acres, but Pesek said crews would only search “high probability” areas of the lake that the weapon may be located.